My Love Affair with Jill!

I bet that grabbed your attention!

OK, I’m not having an affair with Jill, but J Jill is another story! If you’ve read my blog for very long, you’ll know I have a love affair with J Jill. What some of you may not know is how long this affair has been going on! I thought it might be fun to share some of my almost vintage J Jill clothes. I’m not sure how old they are, and that’s why I refer to them as almost vintage. I have absolutely no idea how or when I learned about J Jill. I must have received a catalog because we certainly didn’t have internet back then. Facebook was probably just a daydream in what’s his name’s mind. And, there wasn’t a store remotely close to me. I lived near Fort Wayne then. The nearest J Jill store was in Indianapolis.

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The store…

The first J Jill store I shopped was at the Fashion Mall at Keystone in Indianapolis. It was located at the bottom of the escalator right beside the Coldwater Creek store. If you’re from the area, let’s test your memory skills! Do you remember where it was? Was it on the Nordstrom side of the food court, or the Saks Fifth Avenue (which was a different store…started with a J maybe)? If you said the Nordstrom side, you’re a winner!

I remember walking past that store and gazing in the windows. I would ooh and ahhh at all of the beautiful items displayed inside the store. I always felt it was just too cool for me to venture in. It seems to me (my memory may be quite faulty so please correct me) the store was done in tones of blues and greys with chunky tables and displays. The lighting was on the dimmer side, but that could be a figment of my imagination! I also recall the petite section was at the very back of the store near the dressing rooms. Everything was arrayed on tables and rounders with like colors and textures. That’s one of the things I remember most…the textures…luscious velvets, delightful embroideries, luxe fabrics.

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A renovation

Several years ago, Keystone underwent a huge renovation. Keystone is a strange mall. There are actually two large buildings housing various stores with a “bridge” connecting the two. When I first began shopping there, the bridge was the food court. You could find a large variety of fast food options…sandwiches, salads, Chinese, Italian, etc. That food court was eliminated and replaced with a strange atrium style area with a couple of actual restaurants and a few fast food type places. J Jill moved away from the escalator and closer to Nordstrom. The “new” store was nice, but it lacked the ambiance of the old store. It was more streamlined and seemed much smaller. Wisely, there were chairs at the front of the store near the doors for the “visitors” who weren’t shopping! Again, my memory may be playing tricks on me, but I think J Jill actually was totally absent from the mall for a bit before or during the renovation. I do remember feeling devastated!

Another renovation

A few years ago, J Jill and Talbots both decided to remodel at the same time. This may be due to sharing walls. Talbots weathered the renovation by staying in the same place and just moving things around during construction. J Jill completely moved out of their space and across the hall. J Jill is now open (actually, it has been for a couple of years) and sports a sleek modern vibe. I particularly like the changing rooms…large with huge three way mirrors and lots of space to check out all angles. The changing rooms are also nice and big with good lighting and mirrors.

My first purchase

I didn’t even make my first purchase! I had seen this sweater in the catalog. I may have even seen it online, but I don’t remember when we got the internet at home. I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have been browsing at school at that time! This sweater is from either 2005 or 2006. I know because I sent my son and new daughter-in-law to J Jill to find it for me! I told them to ask for the Landscape sweater! The sales associates didn’t have a clue! We must have had cell phones because I think I was able to describe it well enough they were all able to figure out which one I wanted! That was back in the day when those cell phone minutes were precious! Strangely enough, I didn’t wear this tee with it! I think I probably wore a white tee with a satin banded neckline. I wouldn’t have even considered wearing a print with it! I hope the colors come through well on whatever you’re using to view this. They are such lovely shades of teal, lavender, and taupe.

But…

I do love my J Jill, but I miss the mood of the original store. There was something ethereal about it. The clothing reflected that essence, too. It was an experience to go into the store, running your hands across the velvets and corduroys, pausing to look at a bauble or two, glancing around at all of the opulence on display. The changing rooms, though, were a completely different matter! They were down a narrow hall and were small. I do remember that. I’m not sure if two people could have even passed in that hallway!

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What about the clothing?

When I said I didn’t think I was cool enough to go into the store, I meant it. There was an edge to the clothing then. It seemed boho chic before that was even a thing. Every year, J Jill would do some iteration of a wide wale corduroy coat. I never got one because I was teaching and didn’t see myself wearing it much. Their velvet shirts were a staple, too. Each year there would be a new color palette, and those shirts would change just enough to make you want another. One year, there might be a pleating detail. The next year, there might be a bit of lace at the back. The sleeves would also vary.

Another staple was the J Jill cotton cardigan. And, like the velvet shirts, each year there would be a new color story and different details. I remember, one year, the buttons were different sizes, same color, but different sizes. I still have several of those cardigans. They look brand new! For several years, there was a mohair type of cardigan with sequins sewn in. I have three of them! Each is different so I know I bought them three different years! I wore one to see “Wicked” with two of the best people!

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And, then there were the crocheted cardigans! Oh, my goodness! My daughter always tells me I haven’t met a doily I didn’t like! She’s right…I do have doilies sprinkled around the house! Almost always, J Jill would have a coordinating cami to wear with the sweaters. I know the pink one is really old. Nigel and I went to the Grand Canyon, and at least one of the kids was still at home. Somewhere is a photo of me wearing that cardi and cami with a pair of denim shorts and white sneakers (I didn’t look very hard to find it)! That puts it back in the early 00s! Nigel hated the long crocheted sweater. I adore it and still wear it!

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This skirt is such a fun example of J Jill’s boho flair years ago. Those are lines of different colored buttons going around the hem which swoops up and down. It’s lined and has that fun net detail at the hem. I didn’t buy the coordinating top. I purchased the embroidered crocheted cardigan a few years later. I think I wore a dark brown sleeveless top with it and a Coldwater Creek jacket with it…funny how you can remember such mundane details! I don’t remember if I bought anything to coordinate with the cardigan.

The Lewk

Since I was changing clothes rapidly, I stuck with the same accessories (except for shoes). I am a matchy matchy person when it comes to jewelry. I almost always try to get matching earrings and necklaces. This is part of the Naga collection from John Hardy. Nigel bought me the bracelet first for our anniversary many, many years ago. He added the necklace for Christmas a few years later. I added the earrings when Nordstrom had a promotion! The boots are L’Artiste. The shoes are sneakers I picked up at DSW many, many years ago.

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Wrap it up, Marsha!

I still love J Jill. Their/Her style has evolved as has mine. It has been a few years since I’ve found a crocheted cardigan there! J Jill seems to have settled into a niche for women aged 40 and above. Everything I read online indicates their target demographic is 35-55, but I see more women closer to the 55 year mark than the 35 year mark! The clothing is casually comfortable with several different collections. These collections include the Pure Jill, Wearever, and Fit lines as well as their “regular” line. Every month, I hope there won’t be anything I like. Every month, I’m wrong! I think J Jill has adapted their clothing to the lives we now live. What about you? Are you a fan of J Jill? Is there a store/brand to which you’re extremely loyal? Do you have a deep seated love for doilies you can wear? Come on! You can admit it here…no judgment! Let’s have a conversation! Leave a comment or two, and I promise I’ll answer! If you’re a subscriber, I thank you so much. If you’re not, please consider doing so. I earn nothing from the links I provide. These are provided for your convenience only. Again, thank you for reading my meandering blog!

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